New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has informed the Supreme Court that the huge drug seizure at Gujarat’s Mundra Port, operated by Adani Ports, is connected to the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI.
“Look what they did to India at Pahalgam by shooting innocent tourists,” Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh on Wednesday.
She explained how similar consignments were earlier brought into India from Afghanistan using valid documents related to talc stones. The money raised through drug sales, after being stored at warehouses in Neb Sarai and Alipur areas of Delhi, was routed to LeT. They also alleged that petitioner Kabir Talwar, who is seeking bail, was part of the syndicate that helped run this illegal operation.
The NIA said the drug smuggling is part of a bigger network meant to fund terrorism and harm India’s youth by spreading drug addiction.
As per a Times of India report, the agency explained that about 3,000 kg of heroin, worth nearly ₹21,000 crore, was smuggled into India hidden as talc powder with proper import papers. The drugs were later shifted to warehouses in Delhi’s Neb Sarai and Alipur areas.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the Supreme Court bench of Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh, “Look what they did at Pahalgam by killing innocent tourists,” linking the recent Pahalgam attack to this narco-terrorism network.
In its affidavit, the NIA mentioned that an Afghan-based drug trafficker coordinated the shipment with help from Iranian agents and Pakistan’s ISI operatives. It also said that the money earned from the drug sale was meant to finance terror attacks in India.
The NIA stressed that this was the largest drug consignment ever intercepted, and its aim was not only to spread drug addiction but also to fund terrorism.
Earlier, the 2021 drug haul had raised major concerns about security checks at Mundra Port. Adani Group, however, clarified that cargo inspections are handled by government agencies, not port operators.
